He spent many of his 92 years as a mentor to other local businesspeople and entrepreneurs. Written By: Laura Butterbrodt | ×
Joel Labovitz at the University of Minnesota Duluth in October 1984. (Photo courtesy of the UMD Archives)
Joel Labovitz spent much of his life cultivating Duluth’s economic development, the effects of which are still at work today through the national retail chain Maurices; Labovitz Enterprises and the Lion Hotel Group; and the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
The entrepreneur, businessman and mentor died Feb. 13 at his home in La Jolla, California, at age 92.
“He was such an iconic entrepreneur, deeply embedded in Duluth and just cared tremendously about Duluth,” said Amy Hietapelto, dean of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics. “We are just so lucky that he wanted to have a top university and a top business school in the Duluth community.”